Surviving Sick Days with Kids
There is a small part of me that really enjoys the extra cuddles that come when kids aren’t feeling well. Not that I want my kiddos to get sick – because when you have a larger-than-average family, it will travel through everyone before it’s done, and oftentimes travel back through, re-infecting the kids.
But, those cuddles are precious.
There’s no doubt, though, that surviving sick days with many kids can be tough, especially when you homeschool. There are so many things that need to be done, and the sickie is not the only one who needs mom’s attention. So how can we survive those days?
Surviving Sick Days with Quiet Activities
Keep quiet activities on hand to occupy little ones when they’re under the weather. Coloring books, puzzles, and critical thinking games are great choices. You can put them in a little plastic tote to pull out on sick days. The tote can keep supplies like crayons and pencils contained in one place, and when it’s closed, it can act as a lap desk for your child while she rests on the couch.
We especially love:
Crayola 4D Color Alive Coloring Books
Surviving Sick Days with Special Treats
Make a special “sick day drink” by blending fruit juice, coconut water, and ice cubes. The coconut water has way more electrolytes than pedialyte or other drinks like it, and there are no artificial ingredients when you add juice for flavor. You could also add juice to ginger ale or seltzer for a fun drink.
Fruit juice pops, honey pops for soothing sore throats, and other natural hard candies are great options to add too.
The kids really love:
Surviving Sick Days with Audio Books
I love listening to stories on audio books, and so do my kids. The way each actor or author interpret the story makes it such a fun adventure. Download some favorites to the ipad, Kindle Fire, or Mp3 player and give your child some headphones. Fluff up his pillows and make him a little blanket nest on the couch in which to listen.
Better yet, sign up for a free 30-day trial of Audible, and get 2 free audio books to download right away – you’ll be set for the next sick day!
Some of our favorite audiobooks include:
Surviving Sick Days with Streaming Shows from Netflix
It’s no secret that I love using Netflix to enhance our homeschool and entertain the kids, but I’m careful not to give them free access. That way, when I do pull it out, they are excited about their stream time.
When they’re sick, the kids choose their favorite shows, and stream them on the family iPad while snuggled in their beds.
Some of their favorites are:
Jake and the Neverland Pirates
Oh! There are just so many great movies for the kids to stream on Netflix that I could go on forever. The kids can keep themselves quiet and recovering for days if needed. Do your kids have favorites of their own? I’d love the recommendations.
While there are many ways to keep active kids recovering and relaxing, and to keep surviving sick days with them, these are my go-to tactics. And they work well here. What other strategies do you use for surviving sick days with your own kids?
I am a member of the #StreamTeam, which means that I was provided a Netflix subscription in exchange for writing about the ways we use it in our home and homeschool. All opinions are mine, though, and actually, we’ve used Netflix in our homeschool since the beginning. I love it, and had been a subscriber for years before joining the team. It’s fun to have a reason to share about these great resources now…